Residents question duck hunting so close to village

Photo courtesy of Michael Pease Duck hunters stay hidden in a covered boat last week near the marina at Onondaga Lake Park.

LIVERPOOL, NY -- Bill Pease is used to hearing the duck hunters on Onondaga Lake from his home on First Street in the village of Liverpool.

"The gunshots echoing across the lake from the opposite shore are irritating at 6:30 in the morning," Pease said.

But the sounds he heard Saturday, the opening day of the second session of duck season in the state's Western Zone, were different from what Pease is accustomed to.

"It sounded like we were living in the Gaza Strip," Pease said. "These sounds were jarring."

A group of duck hunters had set up on the eastern shore of the lake, on the Onondaga Lake Park side, near the marina. They were blasting away. As Pease left his home and walked toward the marina, he saw the hunters take down two ducks.

"Nobody's ever seen hunters on this side of the lake," said Bryan Pease, Bill's son, who was home from California visiting for the holidays. "I grew up in the village, and as far back as I can remember, I've never seen duck hunters on our side of the lake."

The question is whether the hunters were there legally. State police and Department of Environmental Conservation officials were summoned to the lake and allowed the hunters to remain.

As far as the state is concerned, the hunters were legal, said Lt. James Reitmeier, of the DEC.

State law allows hunting of waterfowl on navigable waters, even within 500 feet of a dwelling or public structure, as long as the hunters are on the water and not shooting in the direction of the structure, Reitmeier said.

Local laws, though, in both Salina and Geddes, prohibit the discharge of firearms anywhere in the towns. Both town boundaries extend to the middle of the lake.

"But our town code is not that specific," Salina Supervisor Mark Nicotra said. "Does a municipality like Salina have any jurisdiction over navigable waters? No one knows because, amazingly, it's never come up before.

"We're still researching it," Nicotra said.

Geddes Codes Enforcement Officer Peter Albrigo said he believes the town does have jurisdiction on the lake.

"But there is some conflict in the regulations," he said. "The state has reminded us time after time, we cannot regulate hunting."

Albrigo has asked hunters to request written permission from the town, which is part of Geddes' local law. None have. No tickets have been issued.

"I don't believe in a populated area of a park, people ought to be firing guns, whether it's legal or not," Bill Pease said. "The noise factor is the big thing for me. It's just intolerable."

Onondaga County Parks Commissioner Bob Geraci, who himself has hunted ducks on the lake, said he will encourage hunters to stay on the western side of the lake, away from the park.

Duck and snow geese season ends Jan. 11 in the Western Zone. Snow geese also can be hunted Feb. 2 through March 10.

"Waterfowl hunting on Onondaga Lake is nothing new. It's been going on for as long as I know," Geraci said. "From my perspective, from the county parks perspective, we think it's a neat thing that you have this wonderful resource ... that is available for waterfowl hunting."

Geraci, though, is asking hunters to access the lake from an unofficial, free boat launch on the western side of the lake, right off Exit 7 on Interstate 690, near the state fairgrounds.

While people can use the boat launch at the marina in Onondaga Lake Park, Geraci said it is unlawful to carry guns and ammunition across county park property. He's prepared to have park rangers enforce that law. Geraci will allow hunters to use a small county boat launch just off the Long Branch Road bridge.

"It's a question of appearances, perspective," Geraci said. "You're in a public park and do you really want to have hunting 25 feet from the shoreline? I'm saying no, it's not the wisest activity."

It may come down to a matter of mutual cooperation, said Stephen Wowelko, president of the Onondaga County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs.

"Hunters should respect where people are recreating, and people who are jogging or walking in the park should respect that people may be hunting there," Wowelko said.
Matthew Snyder, a duck hunter from Cicero, said most responsible hunters avoid setting up in close proximity to others.

"We have a responsibility as hunters to account for the people around us," Snyder said. "You really don't want to hunt in areas where you're bothering the neighbors or bothering other people."

At the same time, Snyder said, non-hunters have a responsibility to understand hunters are out there behaving within the boundaries of the law.